Sigmar Polke's Untitled Painting Blends Dada Wit and Classical Critique

Paul's Work of the Month explores Polke's layered 1980-81 painting that mixes found fabrics, spray paint, and classical references.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 6:23pm

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An extreme close-up of a richly textured painting surface featuring a kitschy marbled fabric, sprayed classical imagery, and various sculptural elements like wooden toggles and buttons, all captured in dramatic, high-contrast studio lighting to create a glitzy, high-fashion aesthetic.Polke's layered painting blends Dada wit, classical references, and contemporary critique through a collision of found fabrics, sprayed imagery, and textural elements.NYC Today

Sigmar Polke's Untitled painting from 1980-81 is a layered work that blends Dada-inspired wit, classical references, and a critical eye on contemporary society. The painting features a found fabric with a kitschy marbled effect, an image borrowed from Pierre Klossowski's interpretation of the role of women in Ancient Rome, and a variety of materials like spray paint, wooden toggles, and buttons that add depth and playfulness to the composition.

Why it matters

Polke was a prominent 'Capitalist Realist' artist who emerged from East Germany alongside Gerhard Richter, known for paintings that directly confronted Germany's fraught history while casting a critical eye on contemporary Western society. This work exemplifies Polke's signature style of moving back and forth between high and low cultural references, blending classical imagery with found objects and materials in a Dada-inspired spirit.

The details

The painting starts with a found fabric featuring a kitschy marbled effect, onto which Polke has sprayed an image borrowed from Pierre Klossowski's interpretation of the role of women in Ancient Rome. The couple in the sprayed image are ambiguously posed between sex and play, making the classical scene not straightforwardly serious. Polke has then sprayed a veil of white paint, partially following the lines of the marbling, which could suggest a blind being lowered over the scene. He has also sketched the outline of a jug, reminiscent of a museum display of Roman artifacts. Finally, Polke has added buttons to the composition, operating attractively in formal terms and playfully suggesting clothing for the characters shown.

  • Sigmar Polke created this untitled painting in 1980-81.

The players

Sigmar Polke

A prominent 'Capitalist Realist' artist who emerged from East Germany alongside Gerhard Richter, known for paintings that directly confronted Germany's fraught history while casting a critical eye on contemporary Western society.

Pierre Klossowski

An artist and philosopher whose considerations of the role of women in Ancient Rome inspired the classical imagery Polke incorporated into this painting.

Gordon VeneKlasen

The former co-owner of Michael Werner Gallery who now operates separately under his own name in London and New York, where you can currently see exhibitions of Sigmar Polke's work.

Jordan Bosher

The Associate Director at VeneKlasen's gallery who provided information about the classical references in Polke's painting.

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What they’re saying

“Polke starts with the collision between a found fabric – featuring a somewhat kitschy marbled effect – and an image borrowed from Pierre Klossowski. According to the gallery's Associate Director Jordan Bosher, Balthus's de Sade-loving elder brother derived it from considerations of the role of women in Ancient Rome.”

— Jordan Bosher, Associate Director

The takeaway

Sigmar Polke's Untitled painting from 1980-81 exemplifies the artist's signature style of blending high and low cultural references, classical imagery, and found materials in a Dada-inspired spirit to offer a critical commentary on contemporary society.